Graduation numbers
Gavilan College honored the director of a food bank and gave 1,130 degrees to students On May 27.
Of those, 256 received Associate in Arts degrees; 75 received AAs for transfer; 140 got Associate in Science degrees; 89 ASs for transfer and 570 certificates in various majors, including General Education.Communications Studies, Health Science, Allied Health, Administration of Justice and Business were the biggest majors.
Commencement speaker Larry Barr got an honorary degree. Barr has been president of the San Benito County Business Council for the past 12 years where he has worked for the expansion of Gavilan College into the surrounding communities.
He is chairman of the board for the San Benito County Food Bank, which serves food to 3,500 to 5,000 people in need each month. Larry founded a legacy project to recognize academic achievement by high school students. He has organized numerous international service projects and founded a highly praised dental hygiene project that has delivered over 50,000 toothbrushes to underprivileged children in Colombia, the Philippines, Mexico, and Thailand.
Additionally, Larry was responsible for the renovation of Tagabaca Elementary School and the construction of a new learning center at Magsaysay Elementary School, both in the Philippines. Each school has since been fitted with a source of clean water and flushing toilets.
“Education is the one thing that once you get it, no one can take it away,” he told students.
Local film debuts
TheBiggest Game in Town, a film about a man staking his life on a card game, which was shot in Gilroy, will have its debut Saturday at the Golden State Theater in Monterey, with a live band and celebration. The film was shot by 152 West Productions. Tickets are available at http://www.thebiggestgameintown.com. Its logo: “An indie film shot by a bunch of somebodies that nobody’s heard of yet.”
Fundraising sets record
Coldwell Banker’s annual charity lunch raised $25,000 in donations and auction items for the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. The Fortino Winery lunch drew hundreds of people in and around real estate for food, music and goodwill for a hospital that aids children with life-threatening diseases.
